Meditation Opportunities

Thursday evenings at First Presbyterian  

We will meet for meditation on all Thursdays in September and October from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in the fellowship hall.  Our format is two 20-minute periods of sitting in silence with a 10 minute walking meditation in between.  Afterwards there is a brief time for announcements and sharing prayer concerns.

September Retreat Day

Saturday September 29, 2018

 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Fellowship Hall

Silent Retreat Day

Our September retreat day is our longer format that allows us time to deepen our silence.  The rhythm of our day will include an hour and a half silent meditation in the morning, a DVD of a talk by Pema Chodron, a lunch break, and conclude with another hour and a half time of silent meditation.  Come join us as we learn and practice how to deepen our silence to bring more love and peace into the world.  Please bring a sack lunch.  Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided.  A freewill offering will be available.

October Retreat Day

Saturday October 27, 2018

 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Fellowship Hall

Body Prayer Practices

During our October retreat day we will explore some healing and wellness practices developed by Capacitar International. These simple practices work holistically with mind, body and spirit. They are based both on a traditional Eastern understanding of healing as well as some contemporary Western psychology practices. In the field in over 40 countries, these practices have been used for thirty years with small grassroots communities healing from the trauma of war, natural disasters and extreme poverty. We will explore how these “body prayers” can prepare for and enhance our meditative practices. The retreat will be offered by Juliet Spohn Twomey who has led the practices for 13 years in a training program in Santa Barbara at La Casa de Maria, and has travelled with the founder, Pat Cane, to establish groups in Israel and Palestine.

Upcoming Events

Ongoing

Hei’s Tai Chi class at Oldemeyer Center

Tue/Thur at 10:30 am

Mondays 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Sept 7, 2018 

I-help for women dinner provided by Monterey Meditation Group

to help  contact Juliet at jspohntwomey@gmail.com

October 12-14, 2018               Villa Maria Del Mar Retreat

Title: The Neuroscience of Contemplation, Gratitude and Compassion
Presenters: Dr. Joe and Judy Neary
Retreat Description:
Emerging evidence from the new fields of contemplative and social neuroscience reveal that practices such as meditation, gratitude, compassion, as well as mindful movement practices such as yoga and tai chi, can enhance our health and lead to enduring happiness and well-being. The benefits of these mindful living practices include increases in immune function and longevity and decreases in levels of stress, chronic pain, anxiety and depression. We will discuss recent neuroscience evidence and conduct exercises to give experience of these practices. Included: contemplative time, group sharing, individual conferences, yoga sessions and 4:00 pm Villa Mass on Saturday for those who wish.

In closing,

We think that the point is to pass the test

or overcome the problem, but the truth is

that things don’t really get solved.  They come

together and they fall apart.  Then they come

together again and fall apart again.  It’s just

like that.  The healing comes from letting there

be room for all of this to happen:  room for

grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Pema Chodron